My Shot Having been on both sides of the mike, I know that calling shots is easier than hitting them

I used to ask pro golfers for interviews. Now I give them. That's
the big difference between being a sports anchor on television--I
worked at WBTV in Charlotte from 1983 to '91--and a rookie on the
Senior tour. Both jobs are nerve-racking, but sportscasting is
much easier. In the studio you have to hold it together for only
a few minutes. On the golf course you have to be sharp for four
straight hours.

That's hard, especially when you're trying to hold a lead, as I
was on Sunday at the Toshiba Senior Classic. I led after the
second round but didn't win, thanks to a couple of double bogeys
on the final nine. Still, I've come a long way from making sure
my hair was in place before the camera light went on.

The media didn't care about me when I was a rabbit on the regular
Tour, from 1978 to '82. About the only interview I gave was after
breaking Ben Hogan's course record at Riviera with a 63 in the
first round of the '82 L.A. Open. After getting my card at Q
school in December, I vowed that I'd give good interviews. More
important, I promised myself that I'd never be as rude as some
guys have been to me. I'll never forget feeling like dirt after
Bob Knight blew me off at an NCAA regional in the late '80s.

I know from experience that several Seniors, including Gil Morgan
and Leonard Thompson, aren't too quotable, but some like Ray
Floyd and Gary Player are great talkers. I think I did pretty
well with my first dose of Senior tour coverage at the Toshiba. I
talked about my TV career, my friendship with Dale Earnhardt and
the fact that I'm the only Senior with a diamond stud in his left
ear. The reporters loved it when I told them I had made a deal
with my wife to get the other ear pierced after my first win.
Former colleagues be warned: Have your remote units ready,
because you're going to want to get that piercing on tape.

Terry Mauney, 50, tied for 10th at the Toshiba Classic.

COLOR PHOTO: ANDY LYONS